Malaysian Youth Prepare for Departure to the YES Program in the USA

 

On January 10, CAO Nicholas Papp conducted a pre-departure briefing for 49 very excited Malaysian high school students who will be participating in the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program sponsored by the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by Antarabudaya Malaysia, the local partner of the American Field Service (AFS).

 

The pre-departure briefing was held at the Malaysian-American Commission on Educational Exchange (MACEE) and focused on international travel logistics, American culture, and partnering with Americans to address global issues in their communities. Under the YES Program, these students chosen for their leadership potential, will live with American families and study with American students in high schools all over the U.S.A. for the next six months. Alumni from various U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs also participated in the briefing and shared their U.S. exchange program experiences. As an added bonus, the newly-arrived American Fulbright English Teaching Assistants (ETAs), who will work in Terengganu for the next 10 months, joined the festivities and enjoyed networking with the YES students. While enjoying some pizza, the students took the opportunity to meet one another and share in the excitement as they prepared to depart on January 11th for their American adventure in the YES program.

 

Since 2004, the Embassy has sponsored over 250 students in the YES program which is administered by Antarabudaya Malaysia, the local partner of the American Field Service (AFS). Applications for the 2012 Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program are available through the Antarabudaya Malaysia website.